Joy
by chelseatygers
Summary: He watched her grow, and he waited.


**Note: I wrote this one last year, sometime around when I was writing The Monster, and I just kind of forgot about it. I decided to post it now because I'm happy. I just got accepted as a transfer student to the private university my family loves. I'll be moving out to Ohio next fall, which will suck, but hey, it's only gonna be for like two years. Then I can come back to civilization and get my Master's at a UC school and never go near snow or rain or the Midwest again. I've just gotta say, going out of California and into any other state is like going to another freaking country. As soon as you cross state lines, there's suddenly a ton of bugs and they're giant and the rain is weird and the people are weird and everything closes at like 8 pm and everyone can tell you're not from there and people aren't friendly to you but too friendly to each other. I hate it. AND WHY ARE THERE NEVER TOILET SEAT COVERS IN THE GODDAMN BATHROOMS?! And "drug" is not correct, unless you're actually talking about a drug. "Dragged" is correct. And stop saying "don't" when you should say "doesn't". **

**Okay, rant over.**

**In other news, I really wanted to get my next story out, but I'm only on chapter 8 and it's going to have at least 30. My working title is "Inside and Out". Life has been so busy since I quit my crappy receptionist job and started working at [MAJOR DEPARTMENT STORE] and figured out school stuff. I am also planning a one-shot sequel to Strictly Taboo, which I would like to upload on January 1****st****, since that's a very important day in that story. I know a lot of people wanted a sequel and I said no, but DemonsxXxHeart left me a lovely, long, honest review a long time ago that made me want to, so when I got some ideas, it was a sure thing. Reviews work, people.**

**I hope you all are having a lovely holiday season and will continue to read. =] Love you!**

**Chelsea**

Inuyasha had always avoided humans, not out of any dislike for them or prejudice, but because they simply were too different from him. Although he himself was half human, it was hard for him to understand them. And they died. There was that, too. Several times he had gotten close to humans, and they had always died just as he was beginning to feel that he was on the edge of something, the edge of enlightenment, a whole other world existing within his familiar world that he never before was able to see, even with his superior senses.

The bastards had the most inconvenient timing.

And then along came Miroku and Sango. He had met them while he was moonlighting as a bartender, wanting to learn the skills he had observed in various movies and at parties that he had admired so very much. Sango was a recently divorced young woman who had had a bit too much to drink and Miroku was a sleazy regular who prowled the same bar night after night looking to get lucky. Inuyasha introduced the two of them, Sango's blunt, desperate come-on's grossing him out and Miroku's constant failure making him pity the man. Surprisingly, the two actually hit it off and began to legitimately date each other, always stopping by the bar where they had met every so often to laugh and reminisce about the dark time in their existences before they had found each other.

It was the shock of his life when the couple showed up one night and Miroku proposed to his dark-eyed lady love, afterwards jokingly again going down onto one knee and asking Inuyasha to be his best man. He had said yes, since everyone was staring at him and he couldn't think of a good reason to decline. Telling the man that he was not very fond of him just seemed a tad too rude, even for him. So he showed up to the wedding and did his part, standing next to the blushing groom as his bride eagerly galloped up the aisle. He did insist on not making a speech at the reception, claiming he wasn't good with words, which was true. The one highlight of the entire event was when he went home with all four bridesmaids.

He was glad when they went on their month-long honeymoon. Distancing himself was easier when they were gone for a while, and it would probably lessen the blow. Things were fine for a year, and he switched jobs, having mastered bartending. His next interest was painting, and he quickly learned that the odder it looked, the more money he would make. Using another fake name, he established himself as a respectable artist, his pieces going for hundreds of thousands of dollars each. He supposed it had much to do with the fact that he was a living, breathing half-demon, which was rare. At least everyone said to his face that his art was really good.

That was when he got the excited call from Miroku and Sango. Inuyasha had thought them out of his life for good, and that coupled with the fact that his number was unlisted made him listen to the entirety of what they had to say.

His "best friends" were having a baby. They were having a baby and they wanted him to be the godfather.

He protested, saying that he was busy. They assured him that he would only have to be at the christening and that they did not expect him to act like an uncle or something and show up to every birthday and holiday. Beaten and bewildered, he agreed.

Inuyasha wasn't there when Sango gave birth, giving a non-existent art showing as an excuse, and they didn't contact him again until it was time for the baptismal ceremony, when the baby was six months old. He drove to the church reluctantly, wondering why he had thought matchmaking would be a harmless incident. The church was small and brown and the parking lot was practically empty. That explained why they were always after him for things. Was he really their only actual friend? Did they not have any family? Had they hired all those people to come to their wedding, bringing them in from the street? It would explain a lot if the bridesmaids had actually been hookers.

He jogged into the church, thinking he'd get in, hold the candle, and get out. Sango met him at the door, the look on her face bright, happy, and satisfied, a far cry from the depressed, desperate woman she had been when they had first met.

"You're early!" she chirped, drawing him inside the cool, empty building.

Miroku, hearing his wife's voice, approached with a white bundle in his arms. Grinning, he practically forced the thing into Inuyasha's chest, making him grasp it with both hands, careful with his claws.

"Meet your goddaughter! Say hi, Kagome!"

At least they had picked a pretty name. Raising it to his face, he warily examined the squirming little maggot of a human baby. She had tiny black curls that framed her face and the biggest gray eyes he had ever seen. The contrast was interesting, and he leaned in closer. The baby giggled and kicked happily, and he smiled back at her, not being able to do anything else. She was soft and smelled like… love? And happiness. Giving her an impulsive kiss on the forehead, he pulled away quick.

That new scent coming from her was most certainly _not_ love.

"Ugh, Sango, clean your kid up!" he said nasally, trying not to breathe.

Sango laughed and took Kagome out of his arms. The baby waved her little hands at him and began to cry in a way that he had not thought babies could. It wasn't high and screeching and grating against his ears. It was soft and sad and she made little whimpering sounds. He almost wanted to take her back from Sango and apologize to her. Inuyasha shook his head. Ridiculous. Who the fuck apologized to a baby?

The ceremony was short, them being the only people there, and when the priest carefully dunked Kagome's head in the water, he wanted to snatch her away. Wasn't that considered child abuse? Torture, really. Waterboarding. Why were Miroku and Sango just standing there with dreamy smiles on their faces? The priest, beaming benignly, handed Kagome back to Inuyasha, who cradled her to himself as the final blessings were said. When no one else was looking, he took the edge of his shirtsleeve and wiped her head off, worried she'd get a cold if he just left her damp and hoping it wouldn't lessen the baptism in some way. Kagome burbled loudly and drooled on his shirt, screeching happily in a way that was not entirely unpleasant.

Then it was over and they were all standing outside in the sunlight.

"So," Miroku starting, eyeing the way Inuyasha was clutching Kagome with an amused gaze, "we know you're a busy guy, Inuyasha. It's okay if you can't come for dinner. We're just going to have a quick, simple thing at home, anyway."

"I'll go!" he quickly assured him. Inuyasha wasn't quite sure how or why, but the human baby was growing on him and he was beginning to take his role as her godfather very seriously.

Sango took Kagome from him and smiled. "Great! You've never been to our home before, so just follow our car. It's not too far from here."

He nodded and did as they said, following them to a middle-middle class neighborhood. It wasn't too bad, but nothing fancy. A house across the street was for sale and Inuyasha thought it looked nice enough. Bigger than his apartment, anyway, and it would certainly be cheaper over time. Maybe getting away from the city and investing in a real home would be a good idea.

Pulling into their driveway alongside the family's little Toyota, he slid out and walked with Miroku to the door, standing behind him so he could look at his goddaughter's big, expressive eyes. She stared back at him, fascinated, her eyes fixed on his twitching ears. She was smiling soundlessly, her mouth , completely toothless but for the two front bottom teeth, open wide and a long strand of drool dripping onto the back of her father's shirt. He smiled back, thinking that he had smiled more on this day than in the past fifty years.

Dinner was spaghetti and homemade bread sticks, and he was surprised to find himself enjoying their company. Inuyasha had never really bothered to get to know them before, and he found that Miroku was pretty funny and Sango had her own bit of wit. It would have been better had Kagome not been put to bed midway through it. Before he knew it, it was past midnight and he needed to get going. They had been sitting there for hours, talking about everything and nothing. He was a little mad at himself that he was doing it again, getting too close, but it was still a pleasant evening.

Sango bundled up a few cupcakes and handed them to him. "Want to say goodnight to your goddaughter?"

He nodded, excited. He hadn't known that was an option. Quietly, they went to the nursery, a small pink room with a white crib in the very center. There, bathed in moonlight, sprawled out on her stomach, was the little baby he had met only a few hours ago. Looking at Sango for permission, he reached a finger down into the crib, gently running it along her smooth pink cheek, not noticing he was smiling. Kagome did not stir and, somewhat disappointed by that, he said goodbye to his hosts and left.

The next few years passed by too quickly for him. Inuyasha ended up buying the house across the street from Miroku and Sango, again changing professions. Writing was always something he had wanted to do. He wrote children's books, the most popular of which was called _Icarus and Katie_. It was about a little girl who was raised by a white dog after her parents died in a shipwreck. Kids and parents alike loved it. It won several awards and was made into a series of movies, but all he cared about was that it was his little goddaughter's favorite book.

Inuyasha wrote for her, loving nothing more than to hear her carefully lisp out the simple sentences he had agonized over for untold amounts of time. Kagome was always the first to read his books, even before his agent and editor, and he made changes based on her opinions. She would come to his house first thing in the morning, and he'd walk her to school and back every day. He had been hesitant about it at first, but Sango and Miroku assured him that they were grateful for his help, as they both worked and did not have as much time as they liked with their daughter. They thought it was good at least one adult close to her had time to nurture her and notice new developments and inform them about it when they couldn't be there.

Inuyasha had never loved anyone like he loved Kagome. It wouldn't be a lie if he said that she was the best thing in his life. His books were all dedicated to her, with Miroku and Sango always added as an afterthought. He was there for every one of her little highs and lows, and bought her a huge box of crayons so she could draw out her feelings, which, with her solemn permission, he used as the basis for his illustrations.

Those simple days were gone before he was finished with them. Soon, Kagome was in middle school, walking with her trio of annoying girl friends instead of him. Inuyasha always watched her from the window every morning and afternoon, hoping that day would be the day she decided to stop by and spend some time with him, maybe even draw some pictures with the abandoned box of crayons like she used to.

She never did.

Whenever she did come to his door, she ignored the little workspace where she had spent so many afternoons and went straight to the kitchen, looking for the treats he always kept for her. She'd laugh when he'd ask her to read one of his manuscripts, asking why he wanted her to do that when he had qualified adults whose jobs were to nitpick like that. Eventually, he stopped asking, and took up screenwriting, creating his own show for teens which was majorly successful. Kagome herself watched it every week and begged for sneak peeks, which he happily allowed her. Soon, she was back at his house every day, and things were good again.

But all things, good or bad, must come to an end.

Inuyasha bought a cabin out on a lake up in the mountains. He had first seen it on an overcast day, and the water reminded him so much of Kagome's eyes that he had to get it, not even noticing how overpriced it was. The house was large, three stories with heated floors and almost all windows. He invited his favorite family to come up with him and they did so happily, taking their own car since they would only be staying the weekend and he wanted to stay for a week. It was Christmastime, and the little town near the cabin was bustling and charmingly decorated, looking like something right out of a storybook. For a minute, Inuyasha missed the days when he wrote books for kids, missed the little gap-toothed girl with freckles and braided pigtails who couldn't quite grasp that he was not her blood uncle.

Sango and Miroku went out to the town, telling Inuyasha in secret to keep Kagome busy while they did their Christmas shopping. He was glad he would be able to spend time with her alone, as they always did when at home, but Kagome was not. She sulked on the couch, wanting to go out and see the sights as well.

"Um, do you want cookies?" he asked awkwardly, sitting down next to her.

"I'll get fatter," she said shortly, not even looking at him. She had just turned sixteen a few months ago and had become increasingly difficult to deal with.

"You're not fat," he said for what felt like the thousandth time.

Kagome just smiled. "I'm sorry I'm not good company right now."

He said nothing.

"I haven't been good company for a while, have I?" she asked, turning her big eyes on him.

Kagome was wearing a Santa hat with mistletoe attached to it, something her father had bought as a gag gift, claiming that it was her only present that year. It seemed as though she had forgotten she was still wearing it.

"No," he said gently, reaching a hand out to cup her face. "You're the only person I want to spend time with," he said honestly.

She smiled, relieved, and he kissed her.

Inuyasha wasn't sure when exactly he had begun to feel sexually attracted to Kagome. Maybe it was always, maybe it started just then. But he wanted her, there was no doubt about that. He had rarely been with a woman since he had become a godfather, and Kagome was just so pretty and warm that he had to have her. Without a protest, she allowed him to awkwardly lower her from the couch onto the wood floor. Knocking the ridiculous Santa hat off her head, he proceeded to undress himself and her, pulling the clingy fabric up and over her head before leaning down to kiss her again. It was hot and wet and probably would have looked disgusting to any observer, especially considering their age difference and the fact that Kagome had always looked younger than she actually was.

He marked the way down to her breasts with long, soft kisses, his ears twitching with every little gasp she made, every breath she took. Pushing her bra away from what it concealed, he worked that over her head before allowing himself to look at what he had unveiled. Her breasts were perfect, although a little small, but that was to be expected. She was still a growing girl, after all. Worshipfully, lovingly, reverently, he kissed a rosy nipple, and she let out a soft cry. He looked up at her in alarm, wondering if he had gone too far, but she was looking at him the same way he knew he had been looking at her, like the moment was perfect and had been coming for a while. Stroking her side gently, he took a nipple into his mouth, pulling on it, sucking, and then flicking it with his tongue. Kagome sighed and placed a hand on his head, her fingers brushing against an ear. Inuyasha switched to the other and gave it the same treatment, nibbling a little here and there, trying to remind himself to be gentle and project his love so that she wouldn't think he was using her.

"I love you," she whispered, taking him by surprise and shocking him into stillness.

"I love you, too," he said, his eyes locking with hers. And it was true. He had loved her before she could even comprehend words. He had always loved her and now he loved her in every way.

Giving pointed kisses to each spot he passed on his way to her last secret from him, he listened to her heavy breathing turn into quiet moans and whimpers. A scent she had never given off before was coming from beneath her pure and dainty white underwear, and he slowly dragged the piece of cloth off her body, torturing the both of them with his reduced pace. She was wonderful, she was perfect, and he raised her hips up and buried his mouth and tongue in her, the sudden invasion making her jump and grind herself into him. The taste made him salivate, and he licked greedily, sucking her hot little nub and then pulling back to nibble on the outer lips. Kagome was writhing on the floor, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides, and it wasn't long before she came.

While she was still sobbing out her release, he plunged his fingers into her, his claws reaching and savagely tearing apart her hymen. She screamed, more in surprise than pain, and he again placed his mouth at her entrance, lapping at the blood and drinking it down, savoring the innocent flavor. No one could enjoy her the way he had and no one ever would. He lapped at her walls and soon her juices were mixing with the blood, coating the inside of his mouth and making him moan.

"What the fuck are you doing to my daughter?!"

Kagome jumped and scrambled back from him, bringing her knees up and hiding her nudity, one hand pressed to her mouth and her perfectly shaped gray eyes bigger than he had ever seen them. Slowly, as though he were submersed in invisible quicksand, he turned around and saw his friends, Miroku and Sango, staring at him in rage, horror, and disgust.

What was their problem?

"How could you?" Miroku asked shakily, looking ten years older.

"It seems like what everyone said about half-demons was true," Sango said, less shocked than her husband and probably even angrier.

That comment made Inuyasha get to his feet. "Am I not good enough for her, then?" he asked, daring them to answer.

"Of course not!" she bellowed, her face red.

"How long has this been going on?" Miroku asked, his face ashen. "All this time? When you—When she was just a little girl…"

"No!" Kagome cried out. "This is the first time—"

"Don't protect him," Sango said, not looking at her daughter, not wanting to. "I don't know why we even trusted this beast in the first place. Never in a million years did I think he'd make my daughter into a whore."

Since he couldn't hit a woman, Inuyasha punched Miroku in the jaw, sending him on his back, the blood of Kagome's that coated two of his fingers sticking to his former friend's skin. He was about to hit him again, when Kagome screamed his name.

"Inuyasha, please!"

His fist stopped abruptly an inch before the man's face and he moved away. Kagome was covering herself with a small pillow that had fallen from the couch and he looked down, realizing he was still naked and erect.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"Die!" Sango screamed from where she knelt at her husband's side.

He ignored her until the one he had really been addressing spoke.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, to him or to her parents he wasn't sure. "It's all my fault. I've had a crush on Uncle Inuyasha for so long and I was the one who did this, I tried to seduce him."

Miroku got up and left, slamming the front door behind him. Sango glared at her daughter, before finally uncrossing her arms and taking off her coat, which she flung in her direction.

"Get dressed. We're leaving. Hurry."

Kagome obeyed, her eyes on her own feet. The coat was big and went almost down to her feet. She stared into Inuyasha's eyes soulfully as she walked passed him, trying to communicate something to him that he wasn't quite sure he grasped. The old feeling came back, of being on the edge of something and not seeing whether it led to a dark, cramped abyss or a sunny meadow in a valley.

A year went by before he saw her again.

Kagome showed up at his cabin door, an inch taller with a fuller figure and longer hair. He was surprised, to say the least. They had not contacted him after the incident, and he had not gone back to his home across the street, staying cooped up in his cabin and hardly speaking to anybody, let alone venturing outside.

Inuyasha said nothing and she walked passed him, going straight to the fridge like she used to do. He still kept the chocolate milk and pizza lunchables that she liked so much, mostly out of habit. He had not expected to ever see her again, unless he was dragged to court and she testified against him. Sitting beside her where she had plopped herself directly on top of the kitchen table, he waited for her to speak, to explain.

"Mom and Dad are dead," she said shortly after she finished her milk.

"How?" They were no longer friends so he did not feel obligated to pretend to feel saddened by the news.

"Car accident." She started in on the lunchable, offering him a pepperoni slice which he silently declined with a wave of his hand.

"Why're you here?" Inuyasha didn't mean to sound so abrupt, but he did want to know.

"You're my godfather. I'm a minor for three more months. I stay with you now."

"That's it?"

She nodded. "Plus, your show ended. I want to know what would have happened."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. The network had cut his program due to a decreased amount of viewers. It had gotten pretty depressing, so he guessed it was for the best. It was probably time for a change, anyway. They had not been warned in proper time to finish with the original ending, so they had just tied up all the loose ends they could, the writing the sloppiest he had ever allowed to be shown.

"What was supposed to happen with Isaac and Karida? You know they were my favorite."

Inuyasha frowned. Though not the main characters, Isaac and Karida were fan favorites.

"They were supposed to get together."

"Well, _duh_," she said, mouth full of food. "But how? And why the heck did you kill them off? Everyone's so pissed off with you, you know."

"Isaac was supposed to sneak into Karida's room and make her his," he said quietly. "Her parents would have found out and banned them from seeing each other, but they'd stay together in secret and then her parents would die in plane wreck and they'd run away together."

Kagome nodded. "That would have been better than Isaac going crazy and killing her and himself." She looked up at him and he stopped breathing. "Why do you always kill off my parents in your writing?"

"Because they didn't deserve you," he said quickly, wondering how long she had known. "You were always more mine than theirs."

A small smile showed her dimples. "How are you, Inuyasha?"

"Good."

"Good."

They stared at each other, then she shyly took his hand, lowering her eyes to watch their fingers intertwine.

"I missed you," she whispered. "I missed this."

"Have you…" he started, not sure how to phrase what he wanted to ask. "Were there any boys in your life?"

"There's never been anyone but you."

Placing a single finger under her chin, he urged her to lift her face up and she complied. Her brilliant eyes were swimming with emotion and he kissed her softly.

"I never stopped thinking about you," he said against her lips. "Since I first saw you, I never stopped."

Her hands buried themselves in his hair and she attacked his mouth savagely, her desire having increased since that evening a year ago when he had awoken it. He responded in kind, biting her lower lip and groaning his desire. All his dreams had been about this, but reality was light years better.

Kagome hopped onto his lap and he was reminded of when she'd perch there for stories. Yanking his lips away from hers, he ignored her pout and puppy dog eyes and tugged off his shirt, watching her do the same while struggling to maintain her balance. With a sound of impatience, she flung her shirt off, pushed him onto the table and unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, lifting up her skirt and holding the hem between her teeth, her underwear pushed to the side. Slowly, she worked him into her tight sheath, their eyes both closing in bliss and concentration as she did so. Inuyasha ran his hands up the backs of her thighs and squeezed her bottom before moving up to cup her breasts.

They moved as she rode him, and Inuyasha wondered if anything had ever been as erotic as Kagome at that moment, with her skirt in her mouth, a large wet spot where she was biting it, the dark cloth sandwiched between her breasts emphasizing the colors of her skin. Her eyes were as savage and ruthless as a demon's would have been and he was on that old precipice and another one as well. With a scream, Kagome came around him, the skirt dropping from her mouth and falling onto his stomach, concealing their unity from his eyes. Kagome leaned gasping against his chest, her hands on his shoulders, and kissed him. It was enough to set him off, and he filled her with his essence, hearing her whimper at the sensation.

Their faces were so close together, her eyelashes almost mingling with his own, and he leapt off the cliff.

Joy. A life well-lived. No regrets, no matter how many bad decisions he had made, since they had brought him here, to this most valued moment.

Inuyasha wound her long hair around his fist and pulled sharply, making her yelp as her head moved to a weird angle. He sank his fangs into her neck, again delighting in the taste of her blood.

"Ow!" Kagome shrieked, and he licked the wound in apology. "Why do you always hurt me after we do something like this?" she asked, her lower lip trembling, tears filling her eyes.

"I don't want you to die."

"Well, thanks, but that doesn't answer my question."

"I marked you," he explained, rubbing the still bleeding wound with his thumb. "Nobody even does that anymore 'cause of the commitment and stuff, but it means that you're going to have the lifespan of a half-demon."

She raised an eyebrow. "And you didn't even ask me?"

Inuyasha shrugged and kissed her. "Did I need to?"

She laughed and snuggled into him. "I love you."

"And I love you."

They lay disheveled and satisfied on the table, the carton of chocolate milk and the lunchable trash scattered around them. It was perfect. Inuyasha took a brief moment and thought of Sango and Miroku, thanking them, even if they were turning over in their graves, for being lonely and liking him and loving each other and creating the girl at his side, who was playfully biting at his right ear.

"You think I should start writing movies?" he asked.

"Porn movies?" she giggled, her tongue darting out and playing with the tip of his second most sensitive appendage.

"Real ones," he said seriously, his hands moving to her breasts despite himself.

"Whatever."


End file.
